Hi All, I’ll be performing in the ‘62 Center at Williams College in Williamstown, MA this week in Ping Chong’s Angels of Swedenborg.
http://www.theatermania.com/new-york/news/09-2011/cast-announced-for-ping-chongs-angels-of-swedenbor_41381.html
http://62center.williams.edu/62center/event.cfm?eid=407

Ping Chong on ANGELS OF SWEDENBORG:

“I imagine that all of us wonder at one or many times what it would be like to go to heaven. Emanuel Swedenborg, an 18th Century scientist and philosopher, was one of the few privileged to make this journey in his lifetime. Although he embodied the European Enlightenment in many ways, Swedenborg experienced extensive visions that allowed him to travel to both heaven and hell and returned to write thirty volumes about what he discovered there. I first encountered Swedenborg through Jorge Luis Borge’s singular work The Book Of Imaginary Beings. I drew inspiration from both these sources to re-imagine Swedenborg as a contemporary man caught between his longing for material comfort and spiritual attainment. The production combines dance, theatre, music and multi-media projections and features eight angels, two spirits and, of course, Swedenborg himself, cavorting in a heavenly corral of swirling white feathers.”

This is a world class theater with an amazing facility. I’m not playing the shakuhachi in this particular production but you can bet I’ll be playing in between rehearsals and performances as I love hearing the natural sound of the ephemeral flute in these magnificent spaces.

The college is a 217 year old liberal arts institution nestled in the Berkshires in Western, MA. The leaves are changing as I write. It’s going to be breathtaking in a week when all the leaves turn.

On a side note, I took Jet to the first Birthday party of the new school year. Loony Louie the clown was not only a smash with the kids but also with the adults. The guy knows how to perform. He actually gave me some things to think about in terms of my work and character in Angels of Swedenborg. I play a bad angel who get’s his wings clipped. The performers all wear masks so communication is stylized. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. The idea is to keep things alive by moving between technique and spirit. A good performer is connected to everyone in the room, in some way, and how this is done is the art of performing. (This is also something to think about when sharing the shakuhachi). By the end of the show, I’m drenched, wiped out and barely able to walk. The good thing is the hotel has a Jacuzzi

I won’t be back in New York City until Oct 3rd but rest assured. I have someone taking care of my mail so your flutes will be in good hands.

Namaste, Perry